Yes, it does; and at a bad time of the year.

I went to the doctor last week because I had a sore that just wouldn't heal. I thought it was still a part of the shingles that just wouldn't go away.

No, no, my doctor looked at it and put me in his outpatient surgery room and removed it that same morning and sent it to Pathology. Well, it came back as a Squamas Cell Carcinoma or "skin cancer". He believes he got it all, but would like me to see a specialist. Okay, but I don't have insurance and this is going to cost me, but I realize it needs to be done.

Also, the filling over my root canal is gone. Now, when did that fall out. I will have to call the dentist and have it replaced with a new filling. He wants to put a crown on it, but I just can't afford to do that right now. And, it is in the back, so you can't see it.

Plus, my marriage is struggling. I just don't know how much more mental and emotional abuse I can take. So, I really need to see a divorce attorney.

Oh, where do I begin, cause it is that time of year when Christmas is lurking and two of my children have birthdays in December.

I just need to get on the phone and make some phone calls to get an idea how much those big ticket items are going to cost me, so I can get them in the budget.

On a positive note, my Christmas shopping is going great and my Birthday children already got their presents for their birthdays. Just need to cook their favorite dinner, bake them a cake and celebrate on their birthdays.

November is here, I can feel the crunch of loosing half my income. I was a little grumpy yesterday. Probably because I paid the bills, but money also went to my long-term savings goal.

Anyways, I paid another $600 on my debt.

I listed quite a few items on ebay and craigslist. Hoping to generate a little extra cash in the Pay Pal account for X-mas and birthday shopping.

Bought my husband a black suit for his brother's wedding. Cost $90.00. I think that is a awesome deal and he looks great in it.

Went through my coupons this morning for today's grocery shopping excursion.

My youngest child - baby boy (soon to be 15 in December) started driver's training yesterday. Ugg. He was so scarred, he was shaking. First he said, come in with me until he seen all the kids standing around, then he was like, umm, nevermind. It would probably be embarrassing if his mom walked him in.

Also went through baby boy's clothes yesterday with him so I can get an idea what he needed. He grew up so fast.

Washed and changed over all the bedding to the heavier stuff - flannel sheets, down comforters and extra blankets.

Off to shower and then grocery shopping. Hope I find some good deals.

Before the end of the year, there are just stuff that needs to be done before I loose half my income.

*My husband needs a suit because he is best man in his brother's wedding. I did find a good deal at Target, if I can find the right size jacket.
*We really need new mattresses. Ours are so worn down that we wake up feeling like we have been run over.
*I would like a new comforter. Ours got tattered and worn, so I put a duvet cover over it, but now it is very tattered and worn.
*Christmas shopping. Need I say more.
*Two of my children's birthdays are in December.
*Finish some painting on the exterior of my home - basically doors, before the snow flies.
*Of course, keep paying down my debt as much as possible. I would like to start the new year with as little debt as possible.
*My main bathroom needs to be re-done. It has some mold. Needs new drywall, a better bathroom vent for taking out the moisture, a new sink and repainted. I will probably have to work on this come the new year.

I did re-write a budget for the new year. It is going to be tight, but if I remain aware of our spending and watch for deals, I think we can manage. My new budget will be posted the end of December.

I was able to find another credit card that would transfer the balance from my highest interest rate card and give me 0% interest rate for 6 months, 10.99% after that and no transfer fees. So here is saying good-bye to my Chase Visa with a 23.25% interest rate, who didn't want to deal with me, even though this is my longest standing card I have had for years. I won't close it, but I won't use it. Here's to me being DEBT FREE a little sooner.

So, I have enough in my ING account to transfer back to my checking account to pay off the MK Visa. I still have two other accounts with money in them for emergencies. So, should I or shouldn't I. I think I should, it just makes me nervous. But, I know I will feel better having one more debt paid off.

I owed $23,596.10 in September 2008 (not including my mortgage). I am down to $12,305.71, which would be down to $10,127.33 if I payoff the above CC. I have come a long way in 10 months.

So, our bill came in the mail from when we got sick a few weeks ago. For both my daughter and I, it was almost $2,200. On the letter it states that if you can pay the bill in full within 21 days to take off 50%, which brings the bill down to $1,100. Still more than I wanted to pay.

Anyhow, over the Holiday, I was talking with my SIL, who works at this certain Emergency Center and told her about my bill.

She told me that that is the main Hospital's amount and that the clinic I went to has other billing practices and to call that clinic's specific billing lady and let her know about my bill.

Well, I did and sure enough, she reduced it down to $492.50 for the both of us. We only had to pay $100 for each of us and half of our ancilaries.

Well, that is a relief and I wrote out the check and will drop it off today to her.

But, if I wouldn't of said anything to my SIL, I probably would have paid the $1,100. It pays to make phone calls and to talk to other people about your debt.

So, I have been working on my retirement plan. I am 48 years old and really need one.

I re-financed my home from a 30 year fixed loan at 6.75% interest to a 15 year fixed loan at 4.5% interest. This saves me a whole lot of interest, plus my goal is to add extra to each payment to have it paid off in 10 - 12 years.

I have been paying off all of my debt to get back to being debt free. I am down to three credit cards left. I had nine debts and since September 2008, I have paid off 6 of them totalling $11,165.43.

I have different savings accounts.

*Long Term Account - ING. I have money automatically deposited into this account every month.

*Freedom Account - this is for property taxes and schooling costs that come up twice a year; along with $1000 extra for emergencies. Money is direct deposited into this account every month to cover what that cost would be.

*Secondary checking account at a different banking institution. I put all of my checks from my second job, rebates and such into this account. This account covers Christmas, vacations, birthdays, weddings. What is in this account is what I have to budget for.

*Need to open a different savings account to be able to pay cash for my next vehicle. I will drive mine into the ground right now. I figure I can get at least another 5 years out of it.

*My goal is to keep working as long as I can, pay off the rest of my debt, including my mortgage within the next 10 years while saving as much as I can.

I am going to stay on track for not buying things I don't need (which I am pretty good at anyway);

Keep my grocery costs down. I would actually like to be like the woman whose grocery budget is $800 year by using rebate cards, ECB's and such. Grow more of my own food, do some canning and freezing.

Save for my next vehicle.

And, just live Life to it's fullest, while on a budget.

Trying to keep the whole family involved in being frugal and taking care of what we have is sometimes so daunting.

I woke up this morning not being able to type on my keyboard without getting a bunch of other stuff, like a 7 for an O, I mean come on, what happen after I went to bed.

Well, I turned off the computer and restarted it, still the same thing, then I did a System Restore, thinking it got a virus. It wasn't until after I picked up the keyboard, that I realized that someone spilled their water on it. HELLO. I know the culprit.

This same culprit also has worn out his shoes in about two months. He is so hard on shoes, socks and just clothes in general. He is 14, my youngest. He is a sweet child, but he just doesn't get the money thing, or is it just the fact that he is "14".

Other items added to my every growing list.

Youngest son, teeth cleaned, new shoes.

D daughter - *College entrance exam, pick classes and pay for them.
*Rent a car, take driver's test to get her Driver's License, so she can drive herself to college.

My Jeep - I paid it off, but now things are breaking. Passenger side window won't roll down - the inside snapped, transmission is leaking, front brakes/rotor needs tending to.

Transfer money from ING account to pay off recent trip to Emergency room.

Eee Gads.
I need to re-do my budget.

My daughter is a cancer survivor and we were invited to attend the Celebration of Life event given by our Children's Hospital at a very well-attended and busy restaurant with lots of fun stuff to do.

We went and had a great time, but unfortunately ended up very sick and my husband had to take us to the ER. Diagnosis - food poisoning.

Well, the bill came yesterday and our little trip to the ER cost me $2,139. It does state on the bill that if I can pay it off within 21 days, I only have to pay 50% of the bill. Well, that is a savings of over $1000, so, of course, I will, but why don't they just give me a bill for that amount. It's ridiculous.

Quite the expensive Celebration of Life.

Would you take a cash advance from one credit card to pay off another credit card?

I am not sure what I would do, but it seems like an interesting option.

I have been recently getting letters in regards to raising my interest rates on all my credit cards.

I have the option to keep the card open and have the interest rate raised or keep the rate where it is, but have the card closed. Well, I guess you better close the card. Now to get it paid off.

So I decided yesterday to pay off my Jeep loan and don't ya know, it gets better gas mileage.

I contemplated putting that money on a credit card or freeing up another $305.15 per month to put towards the credit cards in future months.

So, bye bye, Jeep loan.

This is what I still owe:

Total CC Debt: $12,430.67

cc1: $5,429.67 - Chase Visa 23.24%
cc2: $4,800.32 - WAMU Visa 15.05%
cc3: $2,200.68 - M.K. Visa 18.24%

I am going to put the extra $300 a month towards the highest interest rate card first and snowball my way on down.

So all three of my credit cards have raised their interest rates on me, which I am sure everyone who has credit cards is experiencing.

But, wow, one of my credit cards went all the way up to 23.24%, with the other following suit.

I just recently closed on my re-finance and am now at a 4.5% interest rate for the next 15 years. My goal is to actually have my mortgage paid off in 10 to 12 years.

Anyhow, how to deal with the credit cards. I have the money to pay off my Jeep loan, but it is only at a 7%, but it would give me an extra $305 a month to put towards debt, but now I am wondering if I should put it on the highest interest rate credit card.

I do have another option for that highest interest rate credit card. I can get a loan to cover almost all of it from the Credit Union for a much, much lower interest rate and transfer what I need from my savings to completely pay it off.

The Plan:
Get a loan for the highest interest rate credit card from the credit union, pay off the Jeep loan and put that extra $305 towards the next highest interest rate credit card on the list. Does that sound like a reasonable plan.

Well, off to the Credit Union to check on personal loan interest rates. (which in the past have been around 7 - 8 percent).

Credit Card Companies - You Suck; and when I am debt free, you will never see me again.

Gosh, it is crazy how often my plans change. I haven't been able to blog much due to all the projects I have been working on. Between becoming greener and re-evaluating my financial house to do what works for me.

The Greener Side:

Most all of the projects we have been working on has not cost us a thing. We used up extra wood, logs, nails, dirt, rocks or coupons to buy some items.

With my daughter becoming an Environmental Engineer and me, being a Home Economist, We have become our own project. We have cancelled garbage pickup and instead we recycle our own. I still have about a bag of garbage per week, but I do have a place where I take that without having a garbage bill.

We started a compost pile, which let me tell you, I have never had such awesome dirt, with so many worms.

We bought a Brita and safe drinking bottles, so we don't buy bottled water anymore (we do keep a case on hand for emergencies. We have a well, which is good spring water anyway, but the Brita makes it that more yummier. This project cost less than $20.00 by using coupons and combining with a sale and with cost comparison, this has already saved me money, due to not buying a case of water every week or so and filling our landfills with plastic.

We recycle all of our paper products, including junk mail, newspapers, food boxes, etc. and drop it in the Church paper recycler.

We are in the process of buying a rain catch barrel that attaches to our gutter down spout which we will use to water the gardens with. The rain barrel will cost some money, but saves me from turning on the water hose and using electricity. Rain water is much better for gardening anyways.

And, we have been planting our own food (potatoes, corn, green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins, acorn squash, onions, mushrooms and many different herbs). We also have raspberries, grapes, apples, rhubarb and some strawberries. We will be doing a lot of canning, freezing and root cellaring this year. There ain't nothing like homemade pasta sauce. Yum. We cook most all of our meals from scratch and bake bread about every other day. We are learning about making our own yogurt, apple butter, regular butter and anything else that we would eat and buy on a regular basis. So far, I have spent around $40.00 and the bulk of that amount was for the organic mushroom pod.

Those areas above have saved us a great deal of money and I find that I am not in the grocery store as much.

The Financial Side:

In the past, usually January, I go through all of my expenses and make many phone calls to either cut out some expenses, to get different pricing from different companies and, lately, refinancing. But, due to refinancing and needing to live within the income I will be making come January, there are still areas that could be tweaked.

I am refinancing my mortgage down from a 30 year loan with 25 years left to pay at a 6.75% interest to a 15 year loan at 4.5% interest. This saves me a hugh amount of money in interest.

Next, I called both my gas and electric companies and had them switch me over to the budget plan, which allows me to pay the same amount every month, instead of fluctuating amounts each month. I mean, when it gets really cold around here in the winter, my gas bill can be almost $400. That is just too much to pay all at one time when trying to budget.

Now, what order to pay off debt, that is what I have been pondering. This is what I came up with: Due to the credit card companies trying to crack down on debt and raising interest rates, I have had two credit card's rates go up.

1. M.K. Visa. The interest rate on this card went from 13.24% to 18.24%. I owe $2,326.16 on this card. I think I should transfer money from my ING account along with next month's mortgage payment to pay this off. I won't have a mortgage payment in May, due to refinancing and then it is one more debt paid off.

2. I think after that, I should put everything extra on my Jeep to get it paid off next. Even though it's interest is 7.99%, it would free up $305.15 per month to go towards debt. It is actually not due to be paid off until July 2010, but it would help me not struggle with a mortgage payment and car payment after the end of the year.

3. Chase Visa: The interest here is at 19.99%. I will keep paying the minimum plus the extra that brings me up to the next rounded number.

4. Wamu Visa: The interest on this card went up from 12.99% to $15.60%. I will keep paying the minimum plus the extra that brings me up to the next rounded number.

I will have to re-evaluate these two cards after the others debts I have talked about have been paid off.

5. My son's debt. This card was the purchase of a computer to record bands on for his business. This is actually in both of our names, with his name being the primary. We will keep paying the minimum plus the extra to the next rounded number, even though the interest rate is high, just for a little while longer to build his credit. He actually makes the payment on this card, so I am not worried about it. We also did a school loan from the credit union in both of our names to help build his credit. That debt was paid off in March. All of his college has been paid for. He now has a "Digital Engineering Degree" and an "Associates in Music Theory and Composition".

So, as you can see, we have been taking steps to become greener and more financially stable.

Here in Michigan, we have had so many foreclosures. We have had three here on the lake that sold for well below what they should have. That, in turn, gives me a low appraisal for refinancing with debt consolidation.

So, I am now going to Refinance at a 4.5% on a 15 year loan and pay off my debt on the side.

That way, I still have equity in my home, if needed.

I also crunched some numbers and I believe with a very agressive debt snowball plan, I can have my debt paid off in 20 months or less. I am going to apply all of my beach money, cleaning money and money I get from my husband to get that debt paid off.

Once I close on my loan, I will drain most of my accounts and put it towards debt, except for what I need to pay my taxes in September and a small emergency fund cushion.

I will still keep an extra checking account open and add a little to it here and there for X-mas and Vacations.

My husband and I have re-worked our yard and we will be having an extensive garden this year, with lots of canning, freezing and root cellaring to help with grocery costs.

I will post a different entry on all we are doing in these economic times to live within our means.

As you all can see by the debt in my column on the side, I own some money to credit card debt, a car loan and my son's college stuff.

Anyhow, I talked with my loan officer yesterday. The one that holds my mortgage. Right now I am sitting on a 6.75% fixed loan and have 26ish years left to pay off approximately $106,000. Along, with that, if I snowballed my credit cards, it would take 35 months to pay them off and I would have paid interest in the amount of $4,400.00

But, the problem is, that after the end of this year, I loose half of my income, which makes it very strapping for me to pay debt other than mortgage. So, my loan officer suggested a new mortgage.

Here is what I am getting after 2 hours on the phone. A new mortgage for $130,000, with a fixed rate of 4.5% on a 15 year loan and all of my debt paid off. I will be tying my taxes and insurance into that loan (I have always paid them on my own, but this way, I really don't have to worry about that).

Yes, it is a very agressive loan, because my payment is higher (of course). Right now, I pay $735/month and my new payment will be $995; a difference of $260.

But, for me, this makes it easier to concentrate on one payment and I can add any additional monies (my summer job, tax returns, etc.) to my mortgage. My goal is 12 years (when I turn 60) and be completely mortgage free.

As for my children. One has graduated from college and is on his own and my two youngest (14 and 17), both already have college accounts totalling around $18,000 each.

Also, without any extra debt, I will be able to save quite a bit before I loose half of my income at the end of the year. I am looking at somewhere between $8,000 to $12,000 by December, along with what I already have saved.

My Jeep should get better gas mileage now that I won't owe anything on it. LOL

My other housing bills (electric, gas, phone, internet and satellite) total around $300/month; Groceries and Entertaiment are controllable.

And, the restoration of my home (the Cottage) should all be finished by the end of this year.

So, yeah for me. Here is to being debt free, other than my mortgage.

It is scary to me, but I think I am making the right decision.

So a couple of post back I listed some things that just needed to be taken care of. Well, I am pretty much getting everything done on my list.

I took my car in to the repair shop, they said it was my transmission and I need to go to a transmission shop. While on my way to the transmission shop, I stopped at a friends who looked at my car and guess what, it was just low on fluid. Umm, hello oil change place and repair shop, maybe you should check that out. My Jeep drives great now. I mean, afterall, it is a 2001, eventually it is going to need some fluids. God love good friends who look out for you.

I got my Federal Deposit today and I am headed to the credit union to pay off my son's college loan. I have already deleted it from my side bar.

I am making great strides. I have paid off three debts as of today and have lowered my debt from 22,114.18 to $16,785.17 (that is including my Jeep pmt.)

At the rate I am going, by the end of the year, I will have the Jeep and Chase Visa paid off and will have made a sufficient dent in the other two cc debts.

Plus, my emergency fund is really growing. I also opened a new checking account at another bank to use solely for either three purposes (a business account, X-mas and birthday account or traveling account - can't make up my mind yet). I got $50.00 just for opening a this checking account. The bank put $25.00 in the attached savings and gave me a $25.00 Visa gift card) I figured it was a good place to put all of my change, rebates, unexpected checks and I am having $100 direct deposited from my other checking into this one.

Turned in my points from one of my visa cc's and got a $25.00 Home Depot card. I know have $150.00 in Home Depot cards and visa gift cards to put towards either the deck or siding for my house.

The friend that fixed my car has also fixed our portable dvd player and is working on my daughters computer. He says it should be done in a day or two. He is my oldest's father and he really goes out of his way to make our lives comfortable. I am really blessed by the family and friends that I have in my life.

Still trying to find a car for my daughter. It will happen when it is supposed to.

That is pretty much it. Have a great day all.

I am getting back a good size amount of money from my taxes this year. Yeah.

I will be paying off Loan 1 next month, adding some cash to my ING account and buying me a new mattress and box spring. Another debt bites the dust once my e-file is deposited.

Also, purchased a new dryer, mine was definately dead; and found some great deals on clothes at different thrift stores and the mall for me and my son.

I have so much small stuff going on; and well, maybe some large stuff to tend to. I keep putting things off because I am so focused on getting rid of my debt. But, I am going to have to break down and start fixing some things.

I have a stove with self-lighting burners. One of the burners on my stove has a crack in the ingnitor, so I always have to light a match to use that burner. Of course, it is the one I use all the time. Looked for a part, but need to take the one off that is on there to take it with me to get the right one.

My dryer has been going through something. Sometimes it heats, sometimes it doesn't. I took off the part that monitors this, took it in, they put a tester on it and said it was just fine. Well, it has been heating, lately, but now the belt broke that turns the drum, so it won't even start. I washed two loads of clothes yesterday, then took them to the laundry mat to dry.

Our portable dvd player just decided to stop reading discs. Okay, it has never been dropped, so now what. Can you replace the eyes or have them fixed, or do you just buy a new one.

We have pretty much all wood, tile or lineoleum floors with large area rugs. My bedroom rug is a cream color and seriously needs to be cleaned. Do I rent a machine somewhere or have someone come in a clean it.

The ouside grill is trashed. The inside burners have disinigrated. I mean, what can I say about this. I just need a new one.

My husband's watch band broke, so he taped it back together with duct tape. This I think is funny. Watches are fairly inexpensive at K-Mart or Wallmart. Just go buy a new one, or just buy a new band. They probably only cost $5.00.

My Jeep is doing something funny. When I turn left, it stops moving until I straighten out the wheels, like the transmission slipping, but a mechanic said if it was the transmission, it would always hesitate, not just when I turn left. I am really trying to hang onto this vehicle instead of incurring a newer one with another 4 to 6 years of payments. I want out of debt.

Need to get my taxes done. I usually go to H&R Block, but I think I am going to give Turbo Tax a try. Block charges me somewhere around $250.00 to have them done. We have nothing major/significant that would make it difficult, so I believe I can do it.

My refrigerator drawers have all broken off the plastic they ride on. My fridge is 10 years old, but looks new, just the drawers are annoying. I wonder if I can buy new hangers for them somewhere.

My daughter's computer has a virus. Did find someone to fix this, just need to get it to him.

My daughter needs a car. My son needs more clothes and shoes (stop growing already). I need clothes and shoes (seriously). It has been so long that I have really purchased clothes for myself that everything is wearing out, ripping apart, serioulsy faded and stained.

And, not to mention what needs to be done to my cottage.
*Finish laying flooring
*Purchase and finish outside siding
*Purchase and put gutters back on
*Build decks
*Finish trim
*Work on foundation in front of house
*Replace front door
*and so on, and so on.

That is just off the top of my head. Sorry for the rant. Just thought if I got it down, I could assess the damage and get'er done.

January 2009:

*Groceries: $454.77
*Eating Out: $193.00
*Gas: $147.75
*Extras: Helped my oldest son fix his car $95.00.

I am going to seperate my Groceries into two categories, Food and Household. It will eventually be in My Pages under Grocery Challenge.

*Plus, paid all the regular bills and paid off one debt and eliminated it from my sidebar. On to the next debt.

*Changed around which accounts my money goes into. I have auto deductions that come out of my checking every month and go into different savings accounts. Well, after dealing with Chase this past week, I decided they didn't need any more of my money than it takes to pay the bills, so I stopped the auto deduction into that savings, transferred the money out of that savings and it is now going to my ING account, which draws way more interest anyways.

Also, closed my kids accounts at Chase and transferred those to the Credit Union, where their college savings is.

The Care Credit Card is deducted from the checking account of $842.42, total paid off was $2,800.

Now, on to the next debt.

I guess I should start with the one with the highest interest, but I am also telling myself to tackle Loan No. 1, which will ease up an extra $200/month to put towards another debt.

Hmmm, I really need to figure out which one to pay off next.

Even though I feel like maybe I am strapping myself financially and causing myself stress. It needs to be done.

Went to my Bank yesterday. The one I have been with for 30 years, to apply for a HELOC. It is Chase Bank, the one that just bought out WaMu.

I figured I could tie in all of my debt, around $22,000.00, in a HELOC, at 3% interest, instead of different interest rates ranging from 7.5% to 19.99%.

The loan officer thought that was a great idea. Well, No, today he called and said I was denied. Denied, I said. Why?

I asked if it was my credit score. Remember, WAMU let me have access to my credit score for FREE, which I checked earlier this week and it was 662. He said, no, actually, your credit score is much higher that what you thought it was, by about 60 points. Oh, well, that's nice.

So, what is the problem. Well, underwriting thinks it would be a risky loan and that they don't do much HELOC's these days with the economy, you know. I laughed and said "riskier that what - me not paying you on three credit cards that total around $12,000, if I decide not to." That is funny.

He said, well actually, they said you are approved for refinancing.

Refinancing. I don't want to refinance. Oh, I get it -- it only costs $400 for a HELOC closing costs, while it costs around $5,000 for refinancing closing costs. I think that is dirty banking, if you ask me.

So, I told him, "No, you do not get my mortgage. I am happy where I am at and I already have a low interest mortgage rate." Can you believe that. Denied for a HELOC, but approved for a Refinance.

I did let him know that I was appalled at giving me an ultimatum on how I was going to pay off my debt; and that they would be losing a banking customer. I have four different accounts and three credit cards with them, which are now going to be transferred to my Credit Union.

You see, I also went to the credit union yesterday to do some banking and asked them about HELOC's; and they said that, yes, they are doing HELOC's.

So, Mr. Loan Officer, I am now moving all of my money to the Credit Union. You might want to let your underwriters know that. Bummer, how things backfire.

I am not sure if I am going to do a HELOC, but I am going to start transferring accounts and having my direct deposit redirected to the credit union.

I will keep you all updated.

So, I am going to pay off the rest of the first debt on February 3rd. I am so excited. One down and 4 to go.

I have decided to try to tackle CC2 next: After getting my statement this month and looking it over, I am paying over $100 in interest each month. That is just not acceptable. I want that money. I could be doing so much more if my money wasn't paying interest. I would really like to even close that card, once it is paid off, even though it is the one I have had the longest. It doesn't have any type of rewards with it anymore. It used to be, when I used it, a percentage of what I spent went to St. Judes Hospital, but not anymore. Chase chopped their ties with them, which I don't like either.

I was going to tackle Loan 1 next, but the interest isn't as high. And, I am already paying extra on Loan 1. It will be paid off by the end of the year or earlier, which is my goal.

Also, as I stated previous, my WaMu Visa has been picked up by Chase, which means I have three cards being held by Chase. I really don't think I need to be a servant to Chase anymore. I also got a letter from Chase stating that "I will receive a new Chase card, subject to continuing to meet our credit creteria." Who knows, maybe they are just going to close that card/account, which will really screw with my FICO score.

I wonder if I could get a low interest personal loan to pay off all three Chase credit cards; and then just keep one open. I would keep the Mary Kay Credit Card. I do get rewards for those and it is used for business. I am going to check on that as soon as we get back from Kalahari.

First of all, I love baseball. My youngest son is an all sports guy. He has played baseball since he was 5. He is well-liked and has been approached for playing Federated Ball, which he keeps turning down.

Anyways, he told me that he doesn't want to play baseball this year. Ohhh, okay. He said he would, if I wanted him to. But, I don't want my kids spending thier life doing what everyone else wants. He may change his mind, you never know.

But, in the meantime, this saves me $150 in the Homeschooling costs area.

No. 2: Garbage pickup: Since I compost and recycle my own these days, I usually only have about 1 bag of garbage per week. So, I am not renewing my garbage pickup for this year. It runs out the end of March; at which time, I can take my bag of garbage to work or my husband can put it in one of the dumpsters on one of our jobs.

This will save me $200 a year.

No. 3: Bottled Water: We switched over to using a Brita instead of buying bottled water. After calculating my bottled water purchases, I believe we will save $60 year.

So, a total of $410 can goes towards the debt or saving area.

Okay, here it goes with the yearly totals.

Debt is at: $16,179.08. Big Changes coming in this area for 2009. I need to be mostly debt free by the end of the year, due to my regular income being cut in half.

Gasoline Usage: $2,772.58, averaging $53.31/week or $231.04/month.

Christmas Total: $1,533.86. I spent $1,293.63 on my husband and my 3 children and $240.24 on extended family. I am going to work on this category. Saving all of mypoints.com and winster.com points for gift cards and finding items throughout the year at flea markets, antique shops, garage sales, etc. We have decided to go on a vacation for Christmas next year, so our portion will be in finding a good deal on hotel, amusement park admissions, gas, etc.

Birthdays: My family birthdays totaled around $350.00 (Three kids and one husband). Extended family and friends birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, etc. totaled around $250.00. Need to work this area also. So far for next year, we have a wedding reception, three graduations, a baby shower that I need to buy mint/nut cups for 100 people and birthdays.

Groceries: $6,245.38. This includes everything from food, toiletries, water softener salt, lightbulbs, laundry soap, bird seed, batteries, anything that runs a home. I should try to seperate the categories to see just how much is spent on food and how much is spent on household. But, I think that amount is way too much. Especially when I see one woman feeding a family of 4 on $800/year. I definately will use more coupons and try to cut this area and do two categories - Food and Household.

Eating Out: $1,666.99. I need to do the envelope system with this area. Decide how much to use for eating out, put it in an envelope and when it is gone, no eating out. Maybe $50.00/month.

Water Softener Salt: $260/year. This is actually included in the groceries total. We have well water with lots of iron, so I use the Red Out, which is more expensive. I am going to try to see if I can mix two bags Red Out with two bags Regular and get the same results at a lower cost.

Vehicle and Homeowner's Insurance: $2,090.15. Vehicle Plates/Reg. $125.20. No fudging here.

Homeschooling Costs: $1,561.11 (includes private instruction in algebra, some sciences like physics and chemistry, languages, piano, baseball, bmxing, snowboarding, museum memberships, magazine subscriptions, curriculum, field trips, etc. for two teenagers).

Clothing Expense: $553.50. Me and two teenagers. My 17 yo daughter insists on buying her own clothes, even though I slip a few garments in here and there. Mainly, the cost is on my 14yo boy, who won't stop growing, especially in shoes. But, I don't think this amount is excessive.

Haircuts: $130.00. Me and two teenagers. I color my own hair and use coupons for the haircuts. The hair coloring is actually included in the grocery amount.

Country Club Membership (where I work) $130.00.

Well, that is pretty much it. All regular bills like Mortgage and living expenses have been paid and are never behind, plus regularly adding to my Freedom Account and ING Account.

Happy Frugal and Debt Free 2009 to Everyone.

November 2008:

*Groceries: $527.07
*Eating Out: $137.65
*Gas: $125.00
*Extras: Paid for my oldest son's doctor visit and prescription - $94.76. Bought a Brita to change over from using/buying bottled water - after returning a gift, using coupons and mail-in rebate, total cost was $15.50.

*Plus all the regular bills and paid off one debt and eliminated it from my sidebar along with paying money to all my debts, bringing my debt down to $15,887.99. My goal is to be almost debt free by January 2010.

Also added to my Freedom Account and Vacation Accout.

Groceries was higher due to Thanksgiving and my Daughter's Birthday Book Club Party, but both were a lot of fun. Gas was way lower, probably due to prices being way lower. Eating out was a little higher. This is an area I am going to work on and a Grocery challenge starting in January.

Christmas and birthdays are just about done. Also, booked us a vacation to the Kalahari Resort in Ohio in early February.

So I mentioned I would post these goals after Christmas, just couldn't wait. Reading everyone else's goals has got me all pumped up. Here is a more elaborate explanation of my side bar; End 2008 and 2009 Goals:

*Continually pay down debt. While this is pretty self-explanatory, I need to really focus on getting rid of most of my debt by the end of 2009. I would like to keep just one credit card only. One with rewards, of course. I want to use my income tax return for part of this and my summer beach job.

*Transfer Care Credit and WAMU Visa to another 0% credit card before interest hits in February. I have had some great credit card offers in the mail recently and I am going to visit one of them come January.

*Save $1000 EF other than regular accounts with some cash on hand. Other than my Freedom and ING Account, I would like to have $1000 laying around for true emergencies.

*Keep adding to Freedom Account. This account I have had for years and works great when the tax bill cometh or I need to pay for my kids schooling.

*Keep adding to ING Account for Vacations. I promised my family an awesome vacation, so this account is allocated for that. We just need to decide where we want to go. So many choices. I will also use the other part of my income tax return for this venture.

*Continue going green (getting rid of garbage pickup, recycle my own for cash and composting). This is something I am totally embarking on. It will free up around $300/year. So by the end of 2009, this should be into full swing.

*Buy Brita and water bottles to keep with the Green thing (Done). This is too eliminate so many plastic water bottles. We have had the Brita for a week; and no-one has complained. It has been working great and we love the fresh water.

*$400 or under per month food budget (including groceries and ALL eating out). I am going to open a new checking account at a different bank for this. I can direct deposit from my Regular Checking Account and reap the rewards of the $150 Visa Check Card. Nice bonus. I am doing that this week.

*Pay cash for EVERYTHING! (I Love this one). I think with keeping larger amounts of cash on hand (hidden) will help with always paying cash for items needed or wanted, instead of ripping out the credit cards.

Also, I am going to eventually switch back over to cable, so I can ditch my landline and pay-as-you-go cell phone and just get a cell phone with a plan for me. This will be another savings area of around $500/year. This is too be done by the end of 2009 also.

I have a child graduating soon and need to plan for her Graduation Open House to put on in 2010, so I am going to plan and collect items needed for that during the next year. (except food - LOL).

My youngest child enters 9th grade next fall, so I need to have a plan in place for him for the next four years and graduating in 2013.

I am needing to cut expenses in order to live on 1/2 my income starting January 2010.

I am still working on the new vehicle or not plan.

How many of you still have your landline? or do you strickly use a cell phone. I am thinking about getting rid of my landline and my pay-as-you-go cell phone and just getting a cell phone plan.

The two together will save me money yearly. I haven't figured out the numbers yet, cause I need to call my landline provider to find out how much I am actually paying each month. Right now it shows the total combined with my internet; and not seperate. Just curious.

October 2008:

*Groceries: $458.25
*Eating Out: $130.76
*Gas: $221.40
*Extras: Helped out with my oldest's son's newer car $141.00. Homeschooling classes $238.00. My daughter's birthday gift $154.00; and my yougest son's new clothes and shoes $103.50

*Plus all the regular bills and debts paid.

The total extras above (minus the regular bills and debts) comes to $636.50.

Groceries, Gas and Eating Out were lower than last month. That is a good thing. I didn't make my goal of $400/month for groceries and $100/month for eating out, but I am closer than last month.

I have been doing very well buying for Christmas and birthdays - finding great deals, discounts and coupons and I am close to being done.

I went to the credit union today to pay on my son's college loan. The loan is $140/month, but I have been paying $200/month, so I can get it paid off sooner.

Anyway, every time I go in there I get the same lady. She says to me "all of it on the loan". "Umm, yes". I mean where else would it go.

So, today she asks me "all of it on the loan". I say "Yes, I am trying to get it paid off earlier. She says, "well, your doing a good job, your about a year ahead of when the loan is due".

I think to myself - Perfect, cause that is when I wanted it paid off, but how'd she know about my plan.

Here's looking at 2010 - hopefully debt free.